Orthodontic apparatus



A. P. ROGERS.

- ORTHODONTIC APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED 050.13, 1919.

1 3 53% Patented Dec. 28, 1926.

ALFRED P. ROGERS, OF NEWTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

()llt'IlJHOIJONTIG APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 28, 1921).

Application filed December 13, 1919. Serial No. 344,635.

T 0 aZZ whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALFRED P. ROGERS, a citizen of the United States,residing in Newton, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Orthodontic Apparatus, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawingsrepresenting like parts.

This invention relates to orthodontic apparatus and particularly to adevice for exercising and strengthening the muscles of the faceimmediately surrounding the mouth and particularly the orbicularis oris,to thereby assist in correcting irregularities and malformation of thedental arches.

The invention has for its object to pro vide a simple, efiicient andconvenient device for the purpose specified.

To this end, the device is provided with members capable of insertioninto the mouth and of engaging the sides or corners thereof, and movablein one direction by contraction of the mouth, against the action of aspring or yielding member which cooperates with the movable members toresist or oppose the action of the orbicularis oris muscle.

These and other features of this invention will be pointed out in theclaims at the end of this specification.

Figure 1 illustrates the manner in which a device embodying theinvention is used;

Fig. 2, is a side elevation of the device shown in Fig. 1, and Figs. 3and 4, are plan views illustrating the device in different positions ofoperation.

It is generally recognized in the practice of modern orthodontia thatthe strength and development of certain facial muscles materially affectthe formation of the dental arches. The muscle immediately surroundingthe mouth and which is known to the medical and dental profession as theorbicularis oris, is sometimes found in children in a weakened orpartially developed condition. The resistance or pressure of this muscleconstantly applied to the teeth opcrates to control to a large degree,the correctness of their position, that is whether they protrude orrecede from their normally intended position. Those children habituallysuifering from mouth breathing of long duration frequently suffer frommalocclusion of the teeth due to weakened and inharmonious action of themuscles of the lips.

Other facial maldevelopments with the accompanying malformation of thedental arches often accompany undeveloped orbicularis oris muscles.

The present invention contemplates a convenient device by whichundeveloped or weak facial muscles and particularly the orbicularisoris, may be exercised and developed.

In the present instance, I have shown one form or construction of muscleexercising device, which consists of two movable members in the form oflevers 10, 12, mounted upon a pivot 13 carried by a handle 14, which isarranged substantially at right angles to the lovers 10, 12. The levers10, 12, are suitably bent so that when mounted on their pivot 13, theirfront arms 15, 16, diverge from each other while their rear arms 17, 18,are in substantially close proximity to each other and overlap as shownin Fig. 3. The outer ends of the front arms 15, 16, are preferablyprovided with non-metallic pieces 20, 21, of hard rubber or likematerial which may be removably and adjustably mounted on the arms 15,16, or which may be secured infiXed relation to said arms by pins orrivets 22 or otherwise.

The non-metallic pieces 20, 21, are preferably provided with curved tips23, for engagement with the sides or corners of the mouth. The rear arms17, 18, of the levers are provided with bent ends 25, 26, which extendaway from each other and are provided with slots 27, 28, for thereception of a rubber band 29, which forms one form of spring member.The spring member 29 normally serves to draw the arms 17, 18, togetlierand to separate the arms 15, 16, of

- the levers.

In operation the arms 15, 16, of the levers are inserted into the mouthof the child or other patient with the curved tips 23 engaging thecorners or sides of the mouth.

The device is conveniently held by the child grasping the handle 14, andwhile so held, the mouth is contracted or drawn up, which action movesthe arms 15, 16, toward each other from substantially the position shownin Fig. 3 to that shown in Fig. 4. The movement of the arms 15, 16,toward each other by the muscles of the mouth is resisted by the springmember 29 which is extended by the arms 17, 18, moving away from eachother. The muscles of the month are then relaxed, and the levers arereturned to their normal or starting position by the spring member,whereupon the patient again contracts the mouth and then relaxes thesame.

This exercise is repeated for brief periods of time, which arelengthened as the muscles gain in strength. It will be observed that asthe mouth is contracted, the lip muscles and also the facial muscles inthe immediate vicinity of the mouth are forced to exert themselvesagainst the resistant force of the spring member 29 and are thusgradually developed and strengthened day by day.

These exercises are performed periodically each day for an extendedperiod depending on the condition of the muscles, and as the latter growstronger the spring member is gradually increased in strength, which maybe effected by additional loops in the rubber band or by substitutingstronger bands or other forms of spring members, so that as the musclesgrow stronger they are required to do more work in moving the arms 15,16.

The orthodontic results obtained by the use of a device embodying thisinvention have been found to be extremely satisfactory, for as themuscles grow stronger, they exert greater pressure upon the malformedarches through the medium of the teeth, thus affording great assistancein the correction of these malformations as well as aiding materially inmaintaining them in their corrected position.

I have herein shown one embodiment of the invention, but it is notdesired to limit the invention to the particular construction shown.

Claims:

1. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of movablearms capable of being inserted into the mouth of a person and of beingmoved by the contraction of the mouth, a support for said arms extendedsubstantially at right angles to the latter and capable of being held bythe hand of the patient, and means to resist movement of said arms bysaid mouth.

2. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of leverspivoted lntermediate their ends and having diverging.

front arms capable of being inserted into the mouth of a person, ahandle extended substantially at right angles to said levers and uponwhich the latter are pivoted, and a spring member connecting the reararms of said levers to resist movement of the latter by the contractionof the mouth.

3. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of leverspivoted intermediate their ends and having diverging front arms capableof being inserted into the mouth of a person andhaving their rear armsprovided with bent ends extended away from each other and provided withslots, a handle upon which said levers are pivoted, and a spring memberentered into the slotted ends of said rear arms to connect the lattertogether and resist movement of the front arms toward each other whenthe mouth is contracted. a

4. A device of the character described, comprising a pair of leverspivoted intermediate their ends and having diverging front arms capableof being inserted into the mouth of a person and provided with curvednon-metallic tips to engage the corners of the mouth, a supportfor saidlevers,

and a spring member connecting the rear' arms of said levers to resistmovement of the front arms toward each other by the contraction of themouth.

5. A device of the character described, comprising movable memberscapable of being inserted into the mouth of a person and engaged withthe corners of said mouth, and means cooperating with said movablemembers to resist movement of the latter by the contraction of the mouthand a handle extended substantially at right angles to said levers andcapable of being held by the hand of a patient.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

ALFRED P. ROGERS.

